Thanksgiving
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Spoilers up to "Manhattan". The Charmings host Thanksgiving for the extended family. Needless to say, it doesn't go well.


**I don't own Once Upon A Time and never will. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

Despite many pleas from Emma and David to reconsider, Snow White insisted on hosting Thanksgiving as a way to help their newly extended family achieve peace and get along. Henry tied them all together whether they liked it or not and their problems needed shelved because of that.

Three days before Thanksgiving, Snow went shopping and dragged her daughter and grandson along with her. "I don't know why we have to go since you're not letting us help." Emma would rather be working or spending time with her son, not at the grocery store a few days before a big holiday.

Snow glared at her. "I need you both to help me find the items I need so I'm not doing this by myself. And you may be helping – I haven't exactly decided yet. So let's get cracking and hurry so we leave as soon as possible." She smiled brightly at the two and then handed them lists of different items to pick up. She rushed off to find what was on her list.

Between Snow, Emma, and Henry, they were surprisingly out of the store in under an hour, a feat they all felt proud of. Unfortunately, they got stuck in traffic (which rarely happened in Storybrooke) and it took them forever to get back to their new house.

David greeted them at the door. "Hey, what took you so long?"

"Do not even start!" Emma warned before heading to the kitchen to put away the groceries. Snow and Henry followed her in and started to help organize everything they had bought. David tried to help, but Snow shooed her husband away because the three of them were working well together. He was fine with that and returned to the living room.

Snow woke up around four-thirty in the morning on Thanksgiving to get started – She had a lot to prepare for and wanted to make sure that everything tasted good. This day was going to go perfectly if it was the last thing she did. But it wasn't meant to be – Like most of their plans, this wasn't going to stick and the day ended up going horribly awry. But she didn't know this yet and continued on happily with her morning.

When Emma woke up around eight, the amazing smells coming from the kitchen drew her in. "Hey, Mom. How's it going?" Her mouth was watering and she wanted to steal something, but she had a feeling her mother would unleash all her pent up fury on her. It would not end well at all for her and she knew it.

A now slightly frazzled Snow just smiled. "It's going well. Would you hand me some butter, please? I need it and I can't find it." She was already cursing her insistence on cooking the meal herself and wished she had taken up Granny's offer to help a few days earlier. Why had she been stubborn and said no?

"Of course." Emma walked to the fridge and grabbed a stick of butter, which she then handed to her mother. "Are you sure you don't need any help? I'm happy to do it." She didn't want to, really, but she would if she was asked.

Snow was about to reject the offer, but found she couldn't stop no. "If you want to. I'm driving myself crazy already. I was so stupid to think I could do this alone."

"You're not stupid and it's totally fine for me to help." And with that, Emma joined her mother in preparing their dinner. They had just put the turkey in about two hours later when David and Henry finally woke up.

"I can't wait to eat all this!" Henry looked around the kitchen in delight and wished he had gotten up sooner so he could have tasted something. As it was, his mother and grandmother were insisting that eat a light snack (something that they weren't eating for dinner). He chose cereal and sat down to eat with his grandfather in the dining room.

"We've established that we're leaving Grandma and your mom alone in there, right?" David took a spoonful of cereal and ate some.

Henry nodded. "It just makes me even hungrier, Gramps."

David laughed. "I definitely understand that." After they were finished eating, he sent his grandson upstairs to get a shower and then proceeded to the living room to watch something on TV.

At noon, the doorbell rang and Henry rushed to answer it since everyone else was busy. He opened it up to find August. He beamed at the man and hugged him despite the fact that he had seen him the night before. "Hi!"

"Hey, kid. Where's your mom?" August had been looking forward to celebrating this holiday with his girlfriend for months, even though they disliked about half of the people attending. They planned on sneaking off somewhere later to their spot to maybe have sex and definitely get drunk.

"She's in the kitchen with Grandma. Where's Geppetto?"

"He's coming later – He had some work to do, but he definitely plans on being here." August patted his head and then went to find Emma.

"Hey, I missed you." Emma leaned in for a kiss and the two made out for a few seconds, ignoring Snow's death glare.

"There is no making out in my kitchen, especially today! August, please go join Charming and leave us alone so we can get our work done."

"Mom! First of all, you and Dad make out in here all the time. Don't think we don't know about that. And second of all, I just wanted to see my boyfriend." Emma didn't mind, though. She understood that her mother was stressing out.

August laughed. "It's okay. Really. I don't mind joining Henry and the prince in the living room. I'm sure there's something we can do." He kissed Emma again and left the kitchen.

Only fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang again. Closest to the door, Emma answered it this time and then sighed when she saw it was Regina. "Nice to see you too, Miss Swan. Where's my son?"

"Our son and he's in the living room." Emma hoped she didn't have to sit next to Regina, even though they were getting along better now. They (and Neal) were putting up a united front for Henry so he was raised with some stability. They figured it was better for him in the long run to have parents who got along and didn't fight (that often).

"Thank you." Regina hurried to the living room to greet her son. Henry would be going home with her later and stay until Saturday. She, Emma, and Neal shared joint custody of him, an arrangement they found worked. Emma had him during the week, while she had him Friday and Saturday. Neal got to see him on Sunday, which he wasn't all that pleased with, but he didn't complain. He was just grateful that he had the opportunity to spend some time with his son.

Shortly afterwards, the rest of their guests began showing up and the festivities got underway. Snow, who had worked very hard on the seating arrangements, suddenly began to panic that she had messed it all up and insisted on checking it over again. Once she was satisfied, she sat down to rest for a few minutes to deal with sudden exhaustion. She had been up running around for hours, and it was finally starting to get to her.

At two-thirty, everyone finally sat down to dinner. Ruby went into the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and returned with several glasses of it for others. Granny happily took one off her, as did Regina and Emma. August, David, and Neal opted for beer instead.

"I have been waiting for this all day." Emma's mouth watered at the turkey, which she had been looking forward to eating since they had bought it. Snow had slapped her hand away every time she tried to go for a taste while they were basting it earlier and had finally given up.

"You're not the only one." Henry hungrily eyed it as David began to cut the turkey. Within minutes, dishes were being passed around so everyone could grab what they wanted to eat.

"This is amazing. Great job you two," August complimented Emma and Snow.

Emma leaned over and whispered in his ear. "It is amazing, but nice attempt at getting laid tonight. It's definitely going to happen."

He gulped and dug his fork into the mashed potatoes. "I'm looking forward to it." God, he loved her so much and couldn't imagine his life without her now. He was doing his best to make up for the Neal situation and was thankful that Emma had forgiven him when she didn't have to.

"Henry, why did you get so much food? You're going to waste some." Regina stared disapprovingly at her son, who looked guilty at the heap on his plate.

"I'm starving and everything looks awesome. I can eat it all. I'm a growing boy!" Henry was bound and determined to finish everything on his plate just so he could say he had done it.

"Well, don't come complaining to meet when you have a stomachache," Emma warned him.

Regina frowned. "He won't come to you because he'll be with me. Honestly, Miss Swan, I can't believe you sometimes."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I forgot you were taking him home tonight instead of tomorrow. My bad." She ate another bite of turkey and nearly moaned in relief. August stifled a laugh, but stopped when she glared at him.

"You enjoying your time off school?" August waited expectantly for Henry's answer.

He nodded. "I really like it and I miss having Grandma as my teacher, but this break is really fun. All my homework's done too, so I don't have to worry." He dug into the stuffing and shoved it in his mouth.

"You should come by the library so I can give you some new books." Belle smiled at the young boy and gripped Rumpelstiltskin's hand.

"I'd like that. Maybe on Sunday with my dad?" Henry loved visiting the library, especially since he got to spend time with Belle. She always helped him find something to read.

Snow eyed Belle curiously. "Is that an engagement ring on your finger?" She wasn't surprised if it had happened, but she certainly hadn't expected it this soon.

Belle blushed, but it was Rumpelstiltskin who answered. "Yes, it is. I proposed a few days ago and I'm a lucky man since she accepted." He grinned and then Belle laughed before tilting her head to kiss him.

"Congratulations again, you two." Neal smiled at his father and soon-to-be stepmother. He and Rumpelstiltskin still had their issues, but they were learning to get along. In fact, they had weekly visits with Archie to talk to him about their relationship and what had gone on. With help from Neal, Belle, and Henry (He found he couldn't say no to his grandson), Rumpelstiltskin had finally given up money. There had been some hiccups, but he was trying his best.

"Yeah, congrats. Do you know when the wedding is yet or no?" Emma was pleased that their relationship was going so well since it meant that Rumpelstiltskin was a completely different person. He was definitely nicer and better to be around, which was good when she was stuck with him for life as her kid's grandfather.

Belle shook her head. "We were thinking summer, but no idea when." She also knew that he was planning on asking Neal to be his best man, but was terrified to do so in case he said no.

"That's a great season to get married." Emma loved August, but had no desire to marry him. However, she did feel that marrying in the summer was ideal since the weather wasn't a mess (usually) then.

"We thought so too." Rumpelstiltskin was just glad his life was finally going the way he wanted it to. He was reunited with his son, had a grandson, and was marrying his true love. For once nothing bad was happening to him, which he was grateful for.

Emma went to grab another helping of turkey when she noticed it – Neal grabbed Regina's hand and caressed it before letting go, and then smiled at her. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at them, unwilling to believe what she had just seen.

Neal noticed her gaze and stared right back. "Emma, why are you staring at me?"

Her mouth opened a few times, but closed because no words were coming out. Eventually, she found a voice. "You just grabbed Regina's hand!"

"What? No he didn't. Don't be stupid, Miss Swan." Regina let out a nervous chuckle and then stuffed a roll in her mouth.

Emma sighed. "Henry, go into the bathroom for a few minutes, please. You can take your plate."

"But why do I have to go into the bathroom? I don't want to!" Henry wanted to stay out in the dining room and hear whatever it was that she didn't want to listen to.

"Henry, now!" Emma was aware that she couldn't keep sending her son into bathrooms when she didn't want him to hear something, but she didn't care at the moment.

Henry sighed, took his plate, and then got up. "I am really tired of not being allowed to stay out here with you!" He stomped into the bathroom and upon entering, he slammed the door and began to eavesdrop.

"Miss Swan, you didn't have to do that. What is it you want to talk about?" Regina played innocent because it was the last card she had.

Emma turned to stare at Neal. "You're fucking her, aren't you? You're fucking our son's adoptive mother! What the hell, Neal?"

Neal went to deny it, but then remembered Emma's ability to detect lies. He sighed. "Yes, we're sleeping together. It's been going on for a few months now. I'm in love with her, actually."

Regina did a double take. "You love me?"

"My son is having sex with someone I hate," Rumpelstiltskin complained. Belle comfortingly patted his hand and attentively watched the drama unfold before her eyes.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I do. So what if you've fucked up? I've fucked up, too."

"That's sweet." Regina smiled at him before he ducked in to kiss her.

Emma was still in shock. "I cannot believe you, Neal. Her, I expect this shit from. But you? I should have known better, but I'm still same old stupid naïve Emma. Do you honestly love her or are you just saying that because the sex is good?"

"Fuck you!" Neal didn't think Emma had any right to say anything about his relationship with Regina, especially since he hadn't said anything about her relationship with August. He didn't like the man, but he clearly made her happy and that was all that mattered.

"No, fuck you, Neal!"

"I'm grabbing more wine." Ruby laughed and then rushed into the kitchen to grab a bottle as David and August got up to go into the living room to escape the arguing.

"You look way too happy," David observed of his friend.

Ruby nodded and then held her half-empty wine glass up. "The only reason I'm here was to get drunk and watch this shitstorm unfold. I'm so happy right now." She laughed again and then added some more wine to her glass.

Granny held her own up and clinked it with her granddaughter's. "I hear ya. That's why I came here, too. Well, actually, I also wanted to see if Snow was going to screw up dinner."

Snow let out an offended gasp. "Hey!" She wasn't too mad, though, because she understood why Granny wanted to see that. She hadn't cooked very much back in their world, so it was surprising she did most of it now.

"No offense meant. You were just panicked and I didn't think you'd be able to pull it off. But I'm glad you did."

Eventually, Henry got tired of waiting in the bathroom and came out to grab another helping, ignoring the fighting going on between his parents. He joined his grandfather and August in the living room so he didn't have to listen to anything.

It was surprisingly Rumpelstiltskin who ended up stopping the fight in its track. "You three need to sit down and talk. I'm sure Regina and Bae have their reasons, even if we don't like them." He let Ruby put some wine in his glass and downed it in one gulp. He did not want to think about those two going at it at all. It gave him some horrible mental images that he didn't think he'd ever be able to get rid of.

Emma was the first to apologize. "I am sorry, Neal. I was just surprised, that's all. Especially since it's Regina. But if you love her, I guess I can be happy for you or whatever."

"Thank you." Neal pulled her in for a hug and then decided he wanted a piece of pie.

Regina sighed. "I understand why you're upset, Miss Swan, but I am not doing this to get back at you or whatever you were thinking. And because I didn't get to say it earlier, I have feelings for you, too, Neal."

"Just feelings?" he teased.

She glared at him. "Fine. I can't believe you're making me say it. I'm in love with you, too, you fucking idiot."

He laughed. "That's all I wanted to hear." He stroked her hand again and then went back to eating his pie, which was really amazing. He made sure to remind himself to get Snow's recipe for later.

After dinner, the women began to clean up. Neal, August, and David offered to help, but they were ushered out of both the kitchen and dining room repeatedly because they would just "mess their system up." That was fine with them because they wanted to watch football. Rumpelstiltskin awkwardly sat on the couch and tried to understand what football was even about. Henry tried to explain to his grandfather what the sport was about, but he wasn't getting it.

Ruby went to offer Snow a glass of wine to help calm her down, but she declined. "I can't have any, but I definitely would have had some earlier during all that chaos."

Emma, Ruby, and Granny froze while Regina continued about her business. "What do you mean you can't have any?"

Snow realized her mistake too late, but made an effort to recover. "I was sick recently and I can't drink with my antibiotics. No big deal."

Neither of them bought that, but they let it go since they didn't feel like getting into anything else today. Thanksgiving had been too long already.

"I'm so looking forward to this next year because I want to see what else happens." Ruby was just grateful that the chaos she had predicted had actually happened. She was going to delight in it for a long time.

After they were done with the cleanup, Emma joined August and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Love you," she murmured.

"I love you, too." He kissed the top of her head and the two cuddled there for a while. One by one, the guests (minus August, who was staying the night) began to depart. No longer needing to keep up any pretenses, Regina and Neal left together with Henry.

Thanksgiving had been extremely disorganized, chaotic, and stressful, but that was what the holidays were all about. Everyone fought then and usually made up.

No one was looking forward to Christmas, though. They did not want to go through a repeat of the day's events.


End file.
